Too Much Wine
by heatqueen
Summary: Written for Nursejoy7. Walking back to her dorm alone, late at night, Galinda's tipsiness causes her to have an accident. Elphaba happens to be around to rescue her. Gelphie friendship - possible minor insinuations towards something more.


**Too Much Wine**

**A/N: This one-shot has been written for NurseJoy7, who was reviewer number 100 for my fic, 'Overcoming Adversity'.**

It was a rare occasion when Galinda Upland just happened to be alone.

Later, she would look back on the night and realise the stupidity of attempting to walk home at night when one's already patchy common sense was impeded by alcohol. Certainly at the time it had seemed like a good idea – her friends had been all too quick to wave her off with declarations that Crage Hall really was not that far away, though in hindsight they too were not the best advocates for logical thinking – but Galinda had not been clear headed then.

Thus she found herself stumbling back towards the Shiz grounds unaccompanied and unaware of her surroundings. The journey appeared to take longer without the usual jovial chatter of her friends to provide a distraction, but said friends were back at the bar, whiling away the night with alcohol and boys. Galinda had quickly grown bored.

Upon her arrival at Shiz she had been excited to experience the freedoms of university life with no parents and no supervision. It was a place where she could expect to be treated like an adult, and prove her worthwhile upbringing as a lady. However, as the weeks had passed, she'd found herself in the odd circumstance of finding the large amounts of socialising rather stifling. She wasn't sure why, but something about the ways and displays of the boys at Shiz left her feeling flat.

Once more, she had ended up removing herself from a situation she found unsatisfying. The peace and quiet of outside was far preferable to the noisy gaggle of indoors. At least she was able to – and Oz forbid if Miss Elphaba ever found out – think, without being distracted by the passes of needy boys without better ventures. They were so...samey.

Her thoughts were clouded by the warm blanket of wine she had consumed earlier in the evening. It was hard to consider things when one was tipsy. She would wake up tomorrow remembering the evening's musings and silently laugh at herself for considering such oddities as the idea of Miss Elphaba's green skin really not being that ugly after all, and the fire which seemed to ignite inside her whenever the green girl threw a sarcastic retort in her direction.

But that was just the alcohol, of course.

It was as she passed Briscoe Hall that her sense of judgement failed her – or perhaps it was her eyesight, made dizzy from the wine. Either way she did not realise what had happened until she was on the floor with severe pain shooting up her ankle. There had been a kink in the pavement, which someone probably ought to have fixed, but no one had bothered, leaving it open to easily tripping over an unsuspecting passer-by. Said passer-by just happened to be Galinda, who now lay on the ground, crying out as the pain intensified, rendering her unable to get up let alone continue to walk the rest of the journey back to Crage Hall.

As she lay, she felt panicked that she now did not know how long she would be stuck here before someone finally found her. Perhaps one of the boys from Briscoe Hall fancied a late night smoke, and would spot her in her distressing situation. Even Bick would be welcome right now. But Bick and all the rest of them were either fast asleep or drinking at the very bar from which she had just come.

She was alone. No one was coming – or so she thought. By a twist of fate, someone else just happened to be walking in the same direction, returning to her dormitory from a late night excursion to the library. Elphaba Thropp was not known for leaving her dorm at night, but even she succumbed to cabin fever occasionally, and when she did, she relieved it not with a forbidden trip to the pub, but a practical, productive trip to the library.

Although she was much more an academic than a creative personality, there was one art that Elphaba had long mastered – the art of sneaking into the library after closing hours, through an old back door which was long forgotten about, and could be kept open simply by wedging an object into the gap between the door and the frame. It was a convenient time to study, especially on nights when Elphaba couldn't sleep and needed a distraction. It was also much quieter than her dorm, which was filled with the sound of her unsubtle roommate partaking in just about everything other than studying.

It was lucky for Galinda, then, that tonight happened to be one of those nights when Elphaba had been in the library, poring over an ancient History book that she thought she might use for an essay. She carried the book under one arm and strode with purpose out of the building and back towards her dorm. She couldn't wait for tomorrow, when she would be able to use what she'd learned in a debate in History class.

She did not expect the shadow on the edge of her vision, which turned her gaze towards Briscoe Hall. At first she thought she was seeing things, but as she drew closer, she realized there was indeed another person there. She wondered what a female student could possibly be doing outside the boys' dormitories at night – perhaps she was looking for the sort of raucous entertainment that many students sought when they were desperate. But as she got nearer, Elphaba realized the person was not standing, but in fact, lying face down on the floor.

She immediately flew into a panic and sprinted towards the figure – and skidded to a halt.

'Galinda!' she exclaimed.

From her position on the ground, Galinda firstly did not believe that the voice was real, but a manifestation of her desperation that her pain had now become so intense that she couldn't bear it. Against her will she let out a whimper and a tear dribbled down her face and splashed onto the ground. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and another whimper escaped her lips.

'Galinda, what happened?'

If not for her desperation, Galinda might have cared that the voice belonged to none other than her very own roommate, the sarcastic green girl who, over the last few weeks, had put her down time and time again. That said, all she could muster was a small moan as she breathily stuttered the word 'fell.'

'Sweet Oz,' Elphaba muttered. 'Can you get up?'

Galinda shook her head.

'I'm going to help you, my sweet, okay?'

Galinda would not register the term of endearment until tomorrow, when she would stop and wonder of its meaning. For the time being she merely nodded, and Elphaba lifted the thankfully tiny girl over one shoulder and began to stride towards the infirmary, so sure in her step that it was as though she had done this for years. Galinda felt surprisingly at ease. If not for the intense pain, she might have fallen asleep right there with Elphaba carrying her. She was faintly aware that she felt both comforted by the green girl's closeness, and the edge of an emotion that was no longer loathing.

With the infirmary coming into sight, Galinda pondered the inconvenience that would result of her accident. She didn't know a lot about hurt ankles, just that she was positive it would mean no walking for several days at least – which would mean no socialising. She was surprised to feel respite, that she would be free of other people bothering her for a short while. Except for Elphaba, who would more than likely hound her day and night, making sure she was resting and taking care of herself properly.

It was sweet, in an odd sort of way. Galinda thought she might actually be able to bear it.

Then again, she thought lots of strange things after several glasses of wine.

Meanwhile, as Elphaba carried Galinda's small body, she found that her layers of falsity had been stripped away by the situation. She could no longer see her roommate as that awful popular girl who faked her goodliness, but only an injured girl who was in a lot of pain. As such, it did not matter that she was carrying Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, just that she got a person in need of help to a safe location. Galinda did not seem to notice her either; never once complaining that she was being helped out by the green girl of all people. She clutched onto Elphaba, manicured nails digging into verdant skin.

Mercifully, the infirmary had an emergency late night buzzer. The poor nurse who happened to be on duty had probably seen many a drunk student be placed in her care, consequential of reckless behaviour and lowered inhibitions. She was a kind and non-judgemental lady, and she got on with her job without fussing about the late hour. She sat Galinda down and very gently examined the wounded ankle, which was swollen and purple-ish in colour.

Galinda whimpered at the contact and began to cry again. Her small fingers gripped the edge of the seat so tightly that her knuckles were white.

Elphaba was thankful that she'd had years of practice in caring for Nessarose, as such skills now came in particularly helpful. There had been many a day where she'd had to help Nessa through an injury, sickness or even just hostile tears over her wheelchair confinement. As a result, despite Elphaba's verdant skin being averse to the water droplets, she was all too familiar with crying people. She cautiously approached Galinda, unsure if her roommate would revert back to the girl who couldn't stand Elphaba's presence. When Galinda did not comment, Elphaba took the smaller girl's hand and squeezed it, and began to whisper soft words of comfort into her ear. Although the tears did not cease completely, Galinda's crying tempered into little more than the occasional soft whimper.

Eventually, the ankle was bandaged.

'It's badly sprained,' the nurse said. 'She'll need to keep her weight off it completely for a week at least.'

'Is she okay to leave?' Elphaba asked.

'As long as you walk her back, yes, because she's still tipsy from the alcohol.'

Galinda could not help but giggle despite the pain; the word 'tipsy' sounded funny in her marginally delirious state. Elphaba had found Galinda's wide grin beyond irritating, but tonight she was relieved to see the girl smile. She thought that, in fairness, the smile wasn't that irritating after all, but pretty, now that she cared to look beyond Galinda's heavy make-up. And it was a far more pleasant sight than the pained tears which had been there previously.

In future, she would have to be more tolerant. Perhaps she might even like it a little; or perhaps it was merely the heightened emotions born of tonight's situation.

Galinda would spend the week on crutches.

She hopped out of the infirmary, taking pleasure in being able to use the things to bounce around, occasionally giggling as she sprung her way back to the dorm with Elphaba in tow. Elphaba was careful to ensure the girl did not accidentally trip over and make her injury worse. They did not exchange many words, other than the occasional 'Be careful' from Elphaba or 'This is fun' from Galinda. Soon, they were safely in the confines of Room 22, Crage Hall.

Elphaba was quick to fall into caretaker mode, immediately getting Galinda's nightclothes for her to put on. Galinda got dressed with some difficulty, then sat in front of her vanity to remove her make-up. Without all of the stuff slathered onto her face, Elphaba could not help but notice that underneath it all, Galinda was very naturally a classic beauty, and she wondered why the girl had to cover up her pleasing features to the extent that she did.

She would do the same for herself, if not for the sensitive green making it impossible to wear most cosmetics. She would at least be more justified in that she wasn't already beautiful like Galinda.

As Galinda looked at her bare reflection, examining all the flaws of her face, so small to others and yet so big to her own eyes, she said, 'You know, I never quite imagined it would be you of all people rescuing me. I always dreamed that it would be a handsome prince.'

'Well sorry I'm not what you expected,' Elphaba replied. 'Not everyone happens to be hot and of the male gender.'

'Definitely not male. I'd be willing to consider hot.'

Galinda must be drunker than Elphaba had realised, else she would never dare to say such a thing. She must certainly be delusional or confused to be coming out with such outrageous statements.

'Do not be ridiculous. I'm the most hideous thing you've ever seen.'

Galinda giggled.

'That was _before_…like, when I didn't know you. But I know you now.'

'I help you out, and you decide that that now means you know me?'

'Well, yes,' Galinda said. She attempted to stand up, forgetting about the ankle, and began to topple over. Elphaba quickly grabbed her arm and steadied her. 'I mean, you did _rescue_ me. That's got to count for something.'

'I think that means it's bedtime for you.' Elphaba lifted her up and carried her to bed. Galinda crawled under her duvet and looked up at Elphaba, grinning.

'Sweet, you. Rescuing me and putting me to bed, all in one night.'

'I am not sweet,' Elphaba retorted.

'Yeah, yeah you are, Elphie. Sweet as…well, _me.'_

Elphaba did not comment on the nickname, which was probably merely a manifestation of drunk, slurred speech. More than likely, tomorrow she would be back to the cold, formal 'Miss Elphaba' that she was so accustomed to. She dared not think that Galinda might wish to strike up a friendship. She must only be acting nice this one time because Elphaba had helped her out, and because of the wine she'd consumed.

The very idea of a friendship with Miss Galinda was…admittedly nice, in an odd sort of way, but definitely extremely impossible. The socialite and the social outcast, an epic duo – it was the kind of thing that might occur in fiction, but never, ever in real life. She cast the thought aside, almost laughing at herself for wanting to believe it.

'Elphie,' said Galinda.

'Yes, my sweet.'

She wasn't sure why she was using her own term of endearment towards Galinda either, for that certainly was not a manifestation of slurred speech. Elphaba could not seem to help the affection when Galinda was tipsy and therefore malleable towards such things from her of all people. She ought not to start a habit, but perhaps she could make an exception just for tonight. Tomorrow, she would retreat back into the world of formalities and friendlessness, but for now, she would sit on that border, gently testing the waters.

'You rescued me.'

'I know.'

'Fiyero never rescued me.'

'Fiyero is an asshole.'

'_Elphie_! A lady does not speak of such vulgarities!'

Elphaba chuckled. 'Then it's a good thing I'm not a lady.'

'I'll teach you,' Galinda mumbled. She sounded as though she was getting sleepy. 'To be a lady.'

Her eyes fluttered closed. Elphaba shook her head and watched her sleeping form.

'Goodnight, my sweet. See you tomorrow when you're back to your annoying, exasperating self,' she said, but her features were smiling and she felt a spread of warmth in her chest.


End file.
